Wanda and Pietro were forever in contact with each other. Bumping shoulders, squeezing fingertips, small things throughout the day that were their reassurances that the other was still there. After Ultron, it was even more important to Wanda to reach out and make sure Pietro was close by.
But whereas Pietro would purposefully bump into Clint or the other Avengers, Wanda never made contact with anyone but her twin. While she often found herself starting to reach out to touch the others, her powers made her hesitant and she would quickly pull back. Likewise, the others usually gave her a wider berth than her brother.
The first time Steve put his hand on her shoulder, intending to alert her to his presence without alerting their target, Wanda flinched away in surprise as violently as if the soldier's touch had hurt her. The mission had nearly ended in disaster when Petro abandoned his post to bowl Steve over; unaware of what had happened apart from Wanda being scared.
Steve had apologised afterward for not respecting her boundaries, and Wanda had struggled to answer in a way that made sense. Unfortunately, she just ended up thanking him for his concern, and then Pietro whisked her away to make sure she was alright.
After that, much to Wanda's discontent, the Avengers were careful not to touch her at any given point. Even Thor, who was overly fond of patting others on the shoulder or back, avoided her.
A couple weeks later, Natasha asked Wanda to round up the rest of the team, as Pietro had already started on his avoidance training with Clint. Tony and Bruce were easy to collect, Wanda having to only knock on the lab door and give them the message.
Steve and Sam however, were at the kitchen table poring over a stack of papers and photos as the often did. They were too engrossed to hear her clear her throat, and after a long pause Wanda hesitantly tugged on Steve's sleeve.
Both men were startled to say the least, and Sam started so badly that Wanda took an involuntary step back and stumbled. Steve caught her by the arm and steadied her before she could fall as Sam apologized, and then they both froze. Steve quickly took his hand off her and apologized, looking embarrassed.
Words to explain were failing Wanda again and after a moment of silent struggle, she haltingly reached out and touched both their arms. She lightly gripped just the edges of their hands and gave the slightest pull, telling them that they were wanted by Natasha.
The next time Sam wanted her attention he called her name first, and rested his hand on her arm.
And she didn't flinch. She smiled.
Steve began to touch her elbow gently if he was explaining something to her, and Natasha would knock her feet against Wanda's whenever she sat next to her. Clint didn't pull away or start if she brushed her fingertips against his arm; he nudged her with his elbow instead.
And in every friendly touch and absentminded contact was a message that meant the world to Wanda. A message that before had only been provided by her own twin.
You are not alone.